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January 2017 posts

If you're new to Art Journal Every Day, there is a short introduction here. All of the previous posts can be found archived here. Remember, it's just ten minutes of nourishing your creative self every day! No need to finish anything or even like it. If you've done some art journaling this week, use the hashtag #artjournaleveryday so that we can all take a peek. Even if you're not on social media, you can see everything (from twitter, pinterest, instagram, and facebook) that uses that hashtag here. Over the years I have doled out tons of art journaling advice. Today,... Read more →


I'm delighted to bring you another episode of the Adventures in Arting Podcast! If you do not see the podcast player above, please click on this link. You can listen to a podcast anywhere and at any time. It is a recording that is available to you whenever you'd like to listen. If you'd like to download it to your iTunes library, click here. You can also pause and rewind or fast forward as you desire. I like to listen to podcasts while I'm making art. It's a little like hanging out with friends while you art. Today's podcast features... Read more →


In March 2013 fate dropped me into the path of the ScanNCut. The good folks at Brother asked my Scrapbook Soup TV Producer if she knew any papercrafters in the Tri-State area. I lived in NYC, so she gave them my name and contact information. They invited me to be a part of a focus group for a super secret new product. I can't remember exactly, but I think there were 12 or 16 of us papercrafters. We sat in a large room with four tables. On each table was a ScanNCut and all around the room were tons and... Read more →


I asked my sweet friend Nathalie Kalbach to choose a favorite post from this blog's archives. Actually, it's because of this blog (and her blog) that we are friends! We started blogging around the same time and I gravitated towards her artsy style and she towards mine. We commented on each other's blogs and became friendly online. We finally met in real life at CHA (the Craft and Hobby Association Show) in 2010: And later that year, we shared a room when we both taught at an event in France. (Apparently I didn't understand how to take a selfie at... Read more →


I'm getting in on the tutorial redo fun this week! I played with a variation on this Gelli Masked Heart tutorial from February 2016. Now we're creating double masked prints! It's a pretty cool and super easy technique that you can use with your gelatin printing plate. Watch the video for the how to: And here are the prints from the video: Super fun and easy! Sakura Oil Pastels Winsor & Newton Brush Packs Gelli Plate Speedball Gel Printing Plate 12x12 Gel Press 12x12 Plate Speedball Soft Rubber Brayer Liquitex Gesso Golden Fluid Acrylics Canson XL Watercolor Pad Deli Paper... Read more →


Happy Weekend! It's time for another peek into the Balzer Designs "guest book" so to speak. Thank you for all your kind words and well wishes! I love hearing your stories! Jane T. Owel: Hi Julie, I'm a long time reader/lurker/subscriber to your blog. Watching you and reading your blog has inspired me to make art. I'm a veterinarian by trade, but I always loved crafting. I guess I am a bit of a perfectionist (understatement) and felt that if I wasn't good enough to do art professionally, I shouldn't do it at all. But I love color, and I... Read more →


Today I've got an Art Journal Every Day blast from the past with an addendum. Last week I shared Sue's pick: the beginning of the whole Art Journal Every Day thing here on this blog. This week I thought I'd share a look at how my art journaling has evolved over the years. I think all those ten minute bursts have really helped me to grow! The original post is from November 8, 2013 and I (1) added more recent pages and (2) added some additional thoughts at the end. Enjoy! My art journaling style has evolved over time. Today... Read more →


Today I'm sharing a trio of ScanNCut videos. I hope you find them useful. As always, I create tutorials based on the questions you ask, so let me know what you're curious about when it comes to your ScanNCut! And now, tutorials: First up, whether you received a ScanNCut for Hanukkah or Christmas or you've been keeping yours in the box since you got in months ago (or you ordered one from HSN on Tuesday), it's time to take it out of the box! I'm sure you're super excited to get started. In this video I'll take you step-by-step through... Read more →


Foam stamps have been around forever. Well, maybe not since the dinosaurs. But they have been kicking around craft land for a very long time because they're relatively inexpensive, easy to use, and work well with paint. Because they're relatively inexpensive (as compared to rubber), you can make some super giant foam stamps. That's why you often find foam stamps in the home decor section of the craft store along with oversized stencils for wall stenciling. I did a quick search on my blog to try and find the first time I ever mentioned foam stamps. Back in the beginning... Read more →


Jill Ongley has been reading and commenting on this blog for many years. So, I reached out to her and asked her if she had a favorite post from the archives. This is what she said: I discovered Julie's blog after taking a class from her in 2009 or 2010. At that time she was doing a lot of scrapbooking. I wasn't really a scrapbooker but I loved her art and blogging style, her openness, her curiosity and thought processes and she wrote as if she were talking to a friend in the room or on the phone. Over the... Read more →